Announcement

Himal Southasian is back! Coming soon from its Colombo home.

We’re excited to announce that Himal Southasian will soon be resuming publication from Colombo. The magazine was forced to suspend operations in Kathmandu last year due to deliberate bureaucratic strangulation.

In Colombo, we’ve felt welcomed by friends and colleagues from media and civil society. We’re legally incorporated as a not-for-profit guaranteed limited company. From our launchpad in Colombo, we plan to do more original, innovative and independent work, hoping to make good use of the capabilities of digital media. And Himal will continue to be an open and vibrant platform for ideas.

Vinod, 10 January 2019

The reason the Estate Workers were disowned and disfranchised had nothing to do with Kallathonis. It had everything to do with business and electoral ...

The reason the Estate Workers were disowned and disfranchised had nothing to do with Kallathonis. It had everything to do with business and electoral politics. The end of the Kangany system meant that no new workers were coming from India, so the burgeoning labour movement was in a strong position. The Left and the Ceylon Indian Congress together had more than a quarter of the parliamentary seats, and posed a huge threat to the compradore elite and the Plantation Raj. The coalition of the compradore elite, the UNP and TC, just about cobbled together a majority in Parliament. Getting rid of a quarter of the proletarian vote was essential for the survival of the neo-colonial regime.